A Summer Theatre Arts Intensive Camp

Dear GRP Families,

We are extremely excited to share with you Green River Preserve’s NEWEST summer camp program; a Theatre Arts Intensive Camp in partnership with the YouTheatre of Flat Rock Playhouse which is the State Theatre of North Carolina and one of the top theatres nationwide.   The camp will be a coed and residential that runs concurrently with session 5 base camp,  August 5th – 10th.   Open to campers in the rising 6th through 9th grades, it is in keeping with our mission and philosophy to connect bright, curious and creative children with the joy and wonder of nature and the arts.  Attached is a detailed description of the program and a link to both of our websites: www.greenriverpreserve.org/base-camp/theatre-arts-intensive-camp/ and www.YTROCKS.com.

The Theatre Camp has been a work in progress since 2004; often overlapping with our three week session.  The camp began as a small, local endeavor and we realized quickly that many of our GRP campers would enjoy it, too.   When we began making plans for this summer’s theatre camp, we felt the time was right for opening it up to all of our GRP families.

Campers during this session will be guided by both our GRP staff of naturalists and the staff of the YouTheater of Flat Rock Playhouse.

YouTheatre Staff

The talent and expertise of The Playhouse professional staff is incredible.  Rarely would campers have this opportunity to be mentored by such a skilled and talented group of performers and artists.

Nature has been a core foundation for artists, playwrights, actors, musicians and directors throughout history.  Each summer we witness the talents of many of our campers and staff and are in awe of the inspiration they find in being at GRP.   This weeklong program will offer campers the opportunity to strengthen character, and heighten appreciation and awareness of the natural world, its influence in the arts and the ability to be their “Best Me at GRP.”
Please join us in welcoming the YouTheater of the Flat Rock Playhouse to Green River Preserve.  We are looking forward to our partnership with them in this program and hope many of you will consider registering for the session.

Registration for the camp is through the Green River Preserve website: www.greenriverpreserve.org.  If you have any questions about the program, please do not hesitate to email or call (828-698-8828) us at the camp.

See you this summer!

Missy and Sandy Schenck

As a single parent in the 80s sending my four children to summer camp was not a line item in my budget. Working at a summer camp and trading my salary for their camp tuition was! I knew that summer camp was critically important to youth development and I was going to find a way to make it happen for my children. It was time to be creative.

For ten years I went away to summer camp with my children. I began as an arts and crafts coordinator and after one year filled the role of Summer Camp Director. My children lived in camper cabins for ten weeks and I bunked with the other senior staff members. I had one electrical socket in the single light bulb in the ceiling of the room, showered in a community shower house and slept on an iron army bunk. All my meals were cooked for me and my laundry went out once a week with the camp service.

The camp community embraced us and life was beyond perfect. I was totally unplugged and I loved every minute of this sanctuary away from the real world. Most of all I loved seeing what a difference camp made in the lives of young people. It was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.

Did you know as GRP camper parents this may be an option for you? Some of our summer staff positions are ones that you as camper parents may be able to fill. Most of our summer camp nurses or doctors are camp parents who come by the camp session and trade their salary for their camper’s tuition. Our “office mom” fills the many gaps in the camp office including sorting camper mail, answering the phone, and hugging homesick campers. Activity coordinators are art teachers, swimming instructors, music teachers, and various other talented people or parents. Mentors, our trained naturalists, may also be parents. This role does have a long learning curve, so the commitment for it is often longer and requires participation in staff training.

Going away to summer camp is not an option for you? Help us recruit campers for summer camp. Become a camp rep for GRP. For each new camper accepted and enrolled at GRP you can earn $100 towards your camper’s tuition. There are many ways you can do this. Keep GRP folders in your car and whenever parents ask about your child’s summer plans, share GRP with them. Host a GRP party at your house, school, or community center. Some of our campers have told us they want to help earn their tuition, too. Let them help you recruit campers.   Campers who help earn their tuition, value their experience.

Summer camp is important in the life of our youth. It’s a wonderful way to help young people open up and go beyond themselves; to be their best me. It is a constant learning experience that is prompted primarily by their curiosity. At Green River Preserve, we believe that bright, curious, and creative children are the future leaders of the world. Be creative: make it happen.

Linda’s love of butterflies and the desire to see more at GRP helped us in the development of more butterfly gardens at the camp. She embodied the mission of GRP in all she did and we are all grateful for the time she gave to Green River Preserve.

In honor of Linda, we have created the Butterfly Scholarship for campers. Linda always tried to find creative ways to help campers attend camp. She graciously gave her handmade books/journals and jewelry to the camp store to sell for camper scholarships.

If you would like to make a donation to the Butterfly Scholarship in honor of Linda, please do so by visiting our donation page or mail one to the camp at 301 Green River Road, Cedar Mountain, NC 28718.

Patti Rissman came to Green River in the spring of 2010.  She was hired in a temporary role while our registrar, Linda Lamphier, cared for her terminally ill husband. As time progressed and Linda needed more time at home, we decided to hire Patti in a full time position.

Patti and her husband, Andy, moved to Brevard, NC from Florida several years ago. She spent most of her career working as an office manager and marketing. Her experience is very helpful in many areas of camp. She also worked for a while at Camp Greenville just down the road from us.

Many of you met Patti during the 2011 summer or have had the pleasure of talking with her on the phone. She is now our full time camp registrar and office administrator. Her enthusiasm brightens up our office and we are delighted to have her with us. Please join all of us in welcoming Patti to GRP.

Case began her GRP career this past summer as a mentor and quickly found her place in our camp home. Her love of the outdoors coupled with her strengths in team management, motivation, and maturity quickly earned her a leadership role in the summer of 2011.

Case graduated from Colorado State University with a major in natural resources and has spent the last ten years introducing children and adults to the great outdoors. As manager of a ski resort, Case supervised staff recruitment and human resources, marketing, business planning, and cohesive team collaboration.

Her background and experience is well-rounded and covers all the departments needed to be a Summer Camp Director. Through her experiences with young people, her goal for Green River Preserve is to maintain a fantastic camp from the ground up. She strongly feels that it is extremely important to know all of the campers and what makes each of them unique. She sincerely hopes that all GRP campers will leave camp with a love of nature, a sense of community and safe outdoor skills. Please join us in welcoming Case and her large brown dog, Moose.

We are thrilled to welcome back Molly Wafle to Green River Preserve. Molly worked at GRP in 2004 as a mentor in our fall SEE (School of Environmental Education) program following her graduation from Sewanee, The University of theSouth. With a major in natural resources and a focus on geology and forestry, Molly finds herself right at home at the preserve.  We are happy to welcome Molly and her sweet dog, Frances to GRP.

A native of Virginia, Molly is an excellent horseback rider, gardener, and cook. Molly has many years of camp experience as both a camper and a staff member. Some of these roles included running a camp horseback riding program and serving as a camp registrar and office manager. We hope you will join us in welcoming her and her sweet dog, Frances, to the GRP family.